MLB Rumors

Yankees outfielder Curtis Granderson picked up two hits in his first two at-bats Wednesday against the Orioles in Baltimore. 

Granderson's second hit was his first extra-base hit of the season, a double, since returning from the disabled list. 

Earlier Wednesday, Granderson and Joe Girardi discussed his struggles at the plate and said he was on the verge of getting hot. It appears they were correct. 

Giants starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner pitched more than well enough to win Wednesday, but the offense struggled in a 2-1, 10-inning loss to the Nationals.

Bumgarner went seven innings, allowing four hits and two walks. The run came on a solo home run by Bryce Harper that opened the scoring in the sixth inning. Bumgarner struck out five on 115 pitches but earned a no-decision.

Bumgarner's ERA dropped to 2.89 as he bounced back from his worst start of the season. Bumgarner (4-2) will go for his fifth win Tuesday against the Athletics. 

Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista went 4 for 4 with two homers and four RBI Wednesday against Tampa Bay. His RBI single in the bottom of the 10th won the game after his solo homer in the ninth tied it and sent it to extras. He added an RBI single in the first inning and also homered in the fourth off starter Jeremy Hellickson.

Bautista, who has 11 homers and 27 RBI, added a walk and is batting .275. The 32-year-old has four homers in his last eight games, though they have come in two multi-HR efforts.

Blue Jays closer Casey Janssen allowed an RBI single to James Loney in the ninth to give Tampa Bay a 3-2 lead Wednesday. Janssen gave up a run on two hits with a strikeout. The Blue Jays scored in the bottom half to send the game into extra innings, so Janssen had a no-decision. 

Janssen has allowed three earned runs on five hits and a walk in his last two appearances to raise his ERA to 2.40 from 0.69. 

The Blue Jays may turn to the team's No. 5 prospect Marcus Stroman, who just returned from a 50-game suspension, to make Friday's start against the Orioles, MLB.com reports. 

The other options appear to be Chad Jenkins and prospect Sean Nolin, which have been previously reported. 

Stroman's next scheduled start is Friday after making an appearance with Double-A New Hampshire. He struck out six over five scoreless innings in that outing. 

"Stroman, Nolin, you got those guys that we're high on," manager John Gibbons said Wednesday. "Those are guys we're going to count on down the road."

Despite manager Bud Black saying he would return Wednesday, Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin was again not in the lineup against the Cardinals. Quentin has missed back-to-back games since tweaking his knee on a slide Monday.

Quentin has played in two games over the last week.  

Red Sox starter Ryan Dempster changed his usual pre-start routine after throwing 127 pitches in his last outing, the Boston Globe reports. 

Dempster flew to Boston to get a full night of sleep in advance of his start Thursday against the Indians. He skipped his normal bullpen session Tuesday and made throws from flat ground. 

"Talking with him as far as how his arm felt coming out of his last start, he didn't feel like there was any changes or lingering effect from the pitches he did throw," Sox manager John Farrell said.

Nationals starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez had one of his best starts of the season Wednesday against the Giants, but ended with a no-decision in a 2-1, 10-inning victory.

Gonzalez held the Giants to a run in 7 1/3 innings. He walked Angel Pagan with one out in the eighth inning then was pulled for reliever Drew Storen. He allowed four hits and two walks, while striking out five. He threw a season-high 116 pitches.

Gonzalez, who has lowered his ERA to 3.66 with four quality starts in a row, will next start Tuesday against the Orioles. 

Red Sox pitcher Franklin Morales will start Thursday for Double-A Portland, WEEI.com reports. Morales has been dealing with a lower-back strain since spring training and also strained a left pectoral muscle. 

Morales has allowed six runs over 12 innings through four minor league rehab appearances. Boston is stretching him out to start but doesn't have an opening in the rotation. 

"The fact is, he’s getting up and down multiple times with the innings pitched and coming out of each start with no issues," manager John Farrell said. "Everything is moving according to what our initial thoughts were with him. Once we get through tomorrow, we’ll re-evaluate that and see what the needs are here and certainly where he fits in."

Rays closer Fernando Rodney blew his fourth save Wednesday in Toronto. Rodney surrendered a home run to Jose Bautista in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game at 3. 

Rodney walked Adam Lind with one out in the inning and was pulled by manager Joe Maddon. Joel Peralta finished the inning to send the game into extra innings. 

Rodney has allowed runs in three of his last four appearances and has blown three of his four saves over his last nine outings. His ERA is 5.40.